This is the story of one family's journey from junk food to super foods, from illness to healing!
All recipes on this blog are gluten free, wheat free, dairy free, casein free, egg free, soy free, and most are refined sugar free. Organic produce is ALWAYS recommended.

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Thursday, May 24, 2012

Mexican Haystacks

The night I developed this recipe, I had no intentions of coming up with an end product that would be good enough to blog about. But once my family and I had tasted it, I knew I HAD to share it with you! It was one of those happy accidents that was born out of desperation...that desperation we've all felt (and perhaps feel on a daily basis)..."What in the WORLD am I making for dinner tonight?" We all know the familiar feeling of panic. I created this easy recipe based on what I had on hand, and it turned out so...darn...good...I just had to photograph it and tell you about it. It was also very simple to make!

My inspiration for this dish was a memory of how the church I grew up in would often have luncheons and serve what they called "haystacks". I don't even remember what all went into this dish, but the base was always rice, with chicken on top in a Hawaiian-inspired sauce (if I'm remembering correctly). Then, there were all kinds of additional toppings available, like pineapple, fresh tomatoes, raisins, and a bunch of other stuff you could stack on top of your "haystack". I decided to try a version of my own that celebrated Mexican flavors instead of Hawaiian, but it still has that tasty combination of spicy and sweet. It's also a healthier version with brown rice, low-fat ground turkey, and a yummy salsa-based sauce that doesn't contain sugar (as most Hawaiian sauces do).

The kids and I ate dinner before my husband did, as he was out doing some yard work. When I first tasted it, I said, "Wow! This is like a party in my mouth!" Later, when my husband came in and ate his, the first thing he said - no joke - was "Wow! This is a party in my mouth!" Great minds think alike, I guess?!

So I present to you my version of the haystacks of my youth, Mexican Haystacks. You start with a base of cilantro rice, which is simply fresh cilantro stirred into brown rice. Next, add a layer of tender ground turkey that has been browned, then simmered with onions, garlic, and salsa to make it full of flavor. Then, top with the fun stuff: smooth avocado, crunchy red pepper, and sweet, juicy mango. Last, a few sprinkles of fresh cilantro on top, and voila! Or perhaps I should say...ole!

Start your brown rice in a pot on the stove, or in a rice maker. Next, add ground turkey and chopped onion to a large saute pan. Add garlic powder and salt and pepper. When the turkey is browned, add 4 cups of salsa. Bring the salsa to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, chop the cilantro, pepper, avocado, and mango. When the rice is done, simply stir in almost all of the fresh cilantro, leaving just enough to garnish each dish.

I served each person with the rice and meat already on the plate, and everybody had fun adding their own toppings. Kids always like to feel that they "made" their own dinner!

I'd recommend serving this with a nice big green salad on the side.

*Also, the recipe above made enough for our family of five to have leftovers the next day. If you are cooking for a smaller family, just chop one avocado, pepper, and mango. You can also make less rice and only 1 lb. of turkey. If you do this, reduce the salsa used to only 2-3 cups.

I substituted the meat for vegetarian chicken breast, baked and grated, then followed all the other instructions. With a recipe as simple and easy going as this, substituting meat is not an issue :) thanks for the fabulous recipe!

I saw this recipe featured over at Allergy Free Wednesdays and just had to pop over to check it out! Absolutely gorgeous! Great to meet another fun real foodie! What beautiful photography too! Blessings, Kelly

I saw this recipe pinned on Pinterest and the "haystacks" title made me curious! And sure enough, a reference to church luncheons (an SDA classic!). My memories of haystacks are on a base of corn chips, and this looks so grown up and delicious, and better for you. I will definitely have to try this out. Thanks for sharing!

I never come back to comment on a recipe that I make but I had to! This was amazing, I loved every bit of it. I made it tonight because I didn't think that my husband would like it and he is out of town. I had to take a picture like you and send it to him. He said it looked amazing, and he is a picky eater. He can't wait for me to make it when he gets home! Thanks for sharing!

Hi everyone, thanks for your comments! I have sadly neglected this blog for a while now and was stunned to come back and find there were so many comments awaiting moderation! Sorry I'm late to the party, glad you liked it.

Made this for my boyfriend tonight, first time I've cooked for him. I'm veggie, so black beans instead of meat. But he said, no joke, "There's a party going on in my mouth!" Thanks for helping me impress him :-)

About Me

My family and I are on a journey towards healing, and we started with radically changing how we ate. Initially, this change brought healing and weight-loss to myself...now it is making an impact on my son Caleb who is developmentally delayed. Let's journey together!